Recreated
by Debel
Summary: Sephiroth is reborn, and the only ones who can stop him are Cloud's son and Tifa's daughter, with a little help along the way. Can they defeat him whilst avoiding Shinra?
1. Awoken

The Shinra laboratory was extremely lively; livelier than it had been in a long time. The professors, scientists, doctors and pharmacists were rushing around checking complicated machines and jotting down notes. Dr. Black, the leader of the current operation, was standing on the platform, staring into an enormous cylinder-shaped tank.

Inside the tank, an unconscious man was floating. His long silvery hair shimmered and swayed in the water. Probes and wires hung from every inch o his naked body.

"It's been 18 years," Dr. Black muttered to himself. "It's been 18 years since we last saw you, 18 years since you left the earth, 18 years since the world witnessed true power, 18 years since we've been working on this project. But we won't screw up this time," he ran his fingers down the glass. "Not while I'm in charge,"

It had indeed been 18 years since the man inside had tried to take over the world. 18 years had passed since his downfall. Many more years ago, the company 'Shinra' had tried to create an ultimate life form, an exact copy of the perfect being, the ancients. Their project succeeded, and their result was a man named Sephiroth. Sephiroth had almost unlimited power, both physical and magical, and through hunger and greed, seeked more; the complete control of the planet.

He seemed so helpless, drifting in the tank, as though he couldn't even resist the force of the gentle water. His bright blue eyes were closed sensitively and his pale lips were straight and lifeless.

"Sir, Sephiroth is still in the same condition, our machinery is going off the charts," Dr. Black was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the skinny, young blonde doctor until she spoke. He jumped and whirled around. "If this continues, we my have to abandon the project all together. We may not be able to control him, and you know what happened last time we lost control of him," Dr. Black took off his spectacles and cleaned them on his laboratory coat, frowning.

"Try your best, there's no way we can let this project fail,"

"But sir-" She began.

"Look at him," he interrupted. "He's a miracle, isn't he?" the atmosphere seemed to quieten, or maybe it only seemed this was because of how softly he spoke now. The only sounds that could be heard were the beeping of the machinery and the faint bubbling of the tank. "Look what 18 years of hard work and craftsmanship can produce. Do you realise it took us 5 years just to produce one tissue sample?" his voice sounded floaty and dreamlike, as though this whole situation couldn't possibly be happening.

"But sir, if he breaks loose, we may not be able to capture him again, and the whole thing will be a failure. If you'll just let me give him the drug, it'll lower his medical values to more regular digits,"

"And destroy his power? We haven't been pumping Mako into his bloodstream since he was a foetus for nothing, you know. He was created with the ultimate power. Why waste it all?"

"But last time, he had less power than he has now. He's grown stronger; twice, maybe three times as powerful as he was before,"

"But you're forgetting that our technology has grown much greater. This place is inpenetratable and inescapable to any living thing,"

"Sephiroth isn't just _any living thing,_" the woman said firmly with a final tone of voice. She left the platform and went elsewhere, to leave the man with this thought.

Dr Black looked at his watch. It was very late, and he hadn't had any sleep in 24 hours. He was so excited about this operation, that even if he wanted to sleep, he couldn't.

"I'm going home for some sleep, I'll see you in a good six hours or so," He yawned as the doctors and scientists all showed signs acknowledgement in some way. He grabbed his jacket and briefcase, and left the laboratory to go home.

It must have been two hours or more after he had left, when the woman, Dr Vynn, had noticed unusual numbers pouring out of the machines rapidly..

"I told him it would get worse," she sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I just knew it. I'd better do it before it's too late," She grabbed a syringe and a small bottle of blue liquid. She stabbed the needle into the bottle and withdrew some of it's contents. She knew that she shouldn't really have done this without permission or consulting Dr Black, however she knew that she had to do something. Perhaps a small dose would lower his rate just a little so it wouldn't be noticed. She shook off her coat, and pulled a snug wetsuit over her clothes. She took a mask, breath-piece and hoisted the cylinders onto her back. She paused a moment to brace herself, before slipping into the tank. Most of the scientists were watching now, all with expressions of surprise on their faces.

It was icy cold and trying to get to the bottom without snagging any of the wires, pipes and cables was a problem. At last the tips of her feet touched the smooth surface of the glassy bottom. All the scientists outside the tank stopped to watch with anxiety, their figures blurry through the water.

She gripped a piece of flesh between her thumb and forefinger, and with her right hand steadied the syringe to inject him. The needle was inches away from his skin.

It was all too sudden; Sephiroth's cold blue eyes opened like the blinds of a window, as in a blur he grabbed her wrist with his left hand. He tightened his grip and twisted, so that she dropped the syringe. A harsh force made a heart-stopping 'crunch', and he let go as she cradled her broken wrist.

The entire tank shattered in an explosion of glass and water, launching pieces of glass everywhere. The people who didn't have the common sense to dive to the floor were plastered in fragments of glass.

Vynn ran straight into the equipment room, beckoning the others to follow her, but they were all too scared, and told her to close the door and save herself. She reluctantly slammed the door and hid in a pile of empty creates.

Sephiroth has stepped out from where the tank used to be, and was walking slowly and awkwardly along the metal grate floors, his feet slapping against the floors, and water running from his skin and hair.

One doctor leapt onto his back as a brave attempt to stop him, but he picked him up and threw him as though he were just a doll. Without consideration or thought, he trod over the doctor as he lay lifeless on the floor.

Another scrambled to her feet and pulled down a huge leaver. Alarms and sirens went off and orange lights flashed. He growled angrily and picked up a large piece of glass. He plunged it into her neck, and let her drop to the floor, a spatter of blood spraying as she fell.

One other doctor sat cowering in the corner, muttering what sounded like prayers to himself. He trembled as Sephiroth walked slowly towards him, and grabbed him by the neck. He lifted the man by his neck and pushed him to the wall, his feet dangled as he struggle to breathe. He lifted the man up as far as he could, his arms and legs flailing around like caught bird.

"Where's my things?" he said in a firm, chilling voice. He tilted his head sideways like a coiled snake, eyeing its prey.

"D-Downstairs i-i-in the closet," the man said nervously, his voice rough from the choking. He turned away and went in the opposite direction, and the man sighed with relief, clutching and rubbing his neck.

Sephiroth lit a match, and set fire to everything in the room, the documents, the equipment and the priceless technology was smashed, burned and completely destroyed. He cackled madly before leaving the room and jogged down the corridor. He passed nurses and assistants who gasped and dropped what they were carrying, but he carried on, ignoring the attention and went down the stairs. By the time security had arrived, he was already in the closet retrieving his possessions.

His clothes fitted just as he remembered- black leather trousers, and a long, black coat over the top. Two buckles went across his chest, and one belt went around his waist. He attached his shoulder pads, and span around, admiring himself. He routed through most of the boxes, most of them containing worthless things such as jewellery, uniforms and confiscated items. He finally found a long, dusty box hidden behind everything else, marked only with a reference code. He opened it, and inside was his treasured sword; masamune.

He ran his fingers along the edges of the razor-sharp blade, which was still spotless after 18 years. A wicked smile spread across his face. He jerked his hand back suddenly- as the blade had sliced through his glove and cut his fingers. He held his hand upside-down and watched the blood drip like a red meteor. He was so lost in his own happiness that he almost didn't hear the dozens of footsteps at the door.

Somebody kicked the door down, the hinges tearing of the wall. It landed with a loud thud on the floor at Sephiroth's feet. He leant on his sword lazily, and pretended to look for marks on his gloves.

"Come quietly and we won't harm you," one of them said. His face was hidden by a reflection on his helmet, his gun was raised, the laser-sight beam circling Sephiroth's chest. "Don't worry, co-operate you'll be fine," Sephiroth smirked and for the first time, turned his head slightly and glared in their direction. Some of the soldiers were rather shocked by this, and gasped.

"It's not _me_ I'm worried about," He drew his sword with lightning speed; his whole arm becoming a black and silver blur. At the exact same time, half a dozen gas bombs were flung into the room. He slashed at the first guard, his sword sliding through the body-armour. All that could be heard was a swish of metal and a scream. There was heavy gunfire, but the only sounds were that of bullets ricocheting off the walls. By the time the cloud of hazy smoke had disappeared, Sephiroth had gone.

Almost halfway around the world, an 18-year-old boy sat up in bed.


	2. Running away

He ran his hand through his spiky blonde hair, and clambered out of his bed. He looked at his tired reflection in the mirror, and drank a glass of water to cool himself. He rubbed his forehead, trying to remember why he had woken up in the middle of the night again. His hands and face were soaked with sweat, and his duvet was twisted from a bad night's sleep.

It had been in the recent two years that Dark had been waking up constantly in the night. It was effecting his health, and his appearance too. His once handsome face bore heavy dark patches under his eyes, which were permanently half-open from tiredness. It had been effecting him mentally also, becoming very jumpy and edgy, and for some reason he had gained a sharp temper. Sometimes he would sit and cry for no particular reason.

He was awake now, and seizing the opportunity, he went downstairs to check on his bike. It was a beautiful piece of machinery; a piece of technological art. It was in perfect condition, not even a fingerprint on its gleaming chromed mud-guards. It wasn't that he never rode it- he rode it at every chance he could get; zooming through the streets, the rumble of the engine echoing between the walls. Every moment of his spare time he spent working on it- cleaning, polishing, upgrading- all to make the bike run like a dream.

Though he knew every nut and blot of this bike, he only knew one thing about where it came from. It was once his father's, who had used it to escape once after doing something great- or something like that, he believed.

He never knew either of his parents at all. He didn't even know what they looked like- he had no records of them. He had been fostered ever since he was a baby. Nobody would tell him who his parents were, and the only thing he knew for sure was that they were both dead.

One thing about his parents that he was told, was that his mother gave birth to him in secret, but died not long after. His father planned to visit his son, but he never reached him alive. Words came into his head from long ago "_I regret to inform you that your father has passed away…"_

Ever since then, Dark had been passed from family to family like a disease or an unwanted present. He never had any friends; he always had to move away before he could get to know anyone properly. He was used to being lonely, which explained why he chose to live in such a remote house. He'd shift the curtains back just a little, so he could peep at the people walking by his house. They'd be laughing, talking, skipping, and just as they'd look to his window, he would draw the curtains quickly.

His house was in Kalm, a cosy town, with cobbled streets and grey-bricked houses. His house was alone, the window's curtains were constantly drawn and the door locked for most of the day. He only went out at night, when he wanted to ride his bike alone, or find food. He would walk with his head down and his chin and mouth tucked into his collar.

In this dingy house he ate, slept and lived. He had no job, no money, no food; just the dream that one day he could ride away on his motorbike and escape it all.

He ripped open a sachet of powder with his teeth, and tipped its contents into a mug of boiling water. He huddled in the corner and drank the sludgy soupy substance. Surely his father didn't want this; surely his father didn't resort to stealing food, or living in broken houses. His dad was a fighter; he had proof of that.

Upstairs, under his bed was a great steel sword. It was extremely large and heavy, it must have taken a first-class soldier to wield. It was his father's, he knew that. He was given it when he was born and it had stayed with him ever since. Just thinking about it drew heroic images of his father into his head.

He smiled to himself. Maybe he ought to live up to his father's reputation. Maybe he should have done the kind of things his dad did. No- better!

Mad thoughts dashed through his head. He could run away, he had nothing there to stay for, a crummy house and an unsociable town. He shouldn't waste his life- he should enjoy it. Travel the world, visit new places, try new food and sample new things. It didn't take much thought before he heaved the sword onto the motorbike, bunged some clothes and the only scrap of food he had left into a bag, and took off into the night.

Kalm was a completely different city at night. Whilst in the day it was jolly and peaceful, at night it looked rather grim. The plants staggered up the walls, and the lights from the windows created deformed shadows. The moonlight highlighted every little crevice in the cobbles. Dark failed to notice these things as his surroundings became a blur as he zoomed through the streets.

It wasn't long before he was out of Kalm, and he was speeding through grassy land, the cold biting his face and arms.

He got to a point where he as in the middle of nowhere, the only thing disturbing the perfect horizon were the mountains. The moon was luminous in the sky, and cast mysterious shadows over the mountains. A slight breeze snaked its way through the grass, and then his hair.

He skidded to a halt, tapped the kickstand, and twisted the key. There was absolute silence. He lay down in the soft grass, gazing up at the moon until his eyes became heavy and the world became darkness.


	3. Reunion 1

**Author's note – "Sorry that last chapter was dull- not much actually happened- but bear with me- it'll get better, I promise!"**

The following day, he awoke to a clear, sunny morning. He revved up his bike and charged through the plains. Along the way, he passed mountains, lush fields and flocks of giant, yellow birds, known as 'Chocobos'.

In the distance he could see a city, which looked very modern and new, probably about twenty years old or so. Dark knew this place to be 'New Midgar'.

The old Midgar had been there before, but only a few basic structures remained. A lot of the buildings had been torn down, and in the centre where an enormous reactor once stood, a magnificent building took its place. On one side was the word 'Shinra'. Dark shrugged, and drove into town.

"Err… Hello," he said shyly to an old man whom he passed. "Can you tell me where the airship station is?"

"Oh, you mean the 'New Midgar mega-station'" the man replied. " It's behind that big building there," he pointed to the Shinra building. "Say…" he squinted at Dark. "Have I seen you before?" He asked. Dark frowned.

"No, I've never been here before," he replied.

"Strange, I'm sure I have… Well; that's old age for you," he shrugged, and Dark thanked him before speeding away on his bike once again.

The streets were all very new-looking, the buildings around them looked new too, particularly in one area. There were strange signs he passed which bore the words 'sector' followed by a number.

Eventually he came across and archway which read 'New Midgar mega-station'. He pulled in and parked up. Once inside the building, he queued at the ticket office. To one side of him was an enormous TV screen. With nothing better to do, he watched it for a while. Everyone's eyes darted to the screen when the current program was interrupted by a news broadcast.

A blonde woman appeared on the screen, and in the background were images of a ruined town.

"Just yesterday, the peaceful town of Kalm was destroyed and transformed into this monstrous wreck you see behind me,"

Dark gulped. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. The town he was in just yesterday, the town which he had lived in for nearly all of his life, the only town he'd ever really known had been destroyed only that night.

Photographs of missing people popped up on the screen. He recognised some of the people, he had seen all of them at some point in his life. A wave of guilt flushed over him. Why had he been so stupid? So selfish? Why hadn't he just stayed one extra day? He could've fought- perhaps even saved the town. He put his head in his hands.

"Survivors all say they saw a tall man with long silver hair at the scene, who apparently, before the incident, he was asking for a man named 'Cloud'," He looked up to see a rough sketching of a man with a thin, pointed face and shiny hair.

"He had the brightest blue eyes I'd ever seen!" cried a middle aged woman. "You could see the fierceness within them; it sent a chill down my spine," Dark took a good look at the sketch, taking in all the details. He felt raged towards the man as the screen showed footage of the fire being put out.

"Hello? Sir?" he jumped slightly and realised that the woman at the ticket booth had been calling him for at least five minutes. "Where're you going?" Dark frowned. The truth was that he didn't have a clue.

"I'm not sure… Where do _you_ think?

"Sir, I'm not authorised to do that, but there's an offer going for tickets to Nibelheim- half price for this week only!"

"Fine, I'll go there, one ticket to Nibelheim please," he gave her the required money, and took the ticket from her. "Oh! Er… Will I be able to take my bike with me?"

"No, I'm sorry- no transport allowed," Dark sighed.

"Can I leave it here, then?"

" Of course, sir. That can be arranged for a small fee. That'll be 300 gil, please," she typed some digits onto the computer on the desk infront of her. "But that covers insurance, etc," she added when she say Dark's expression. "Can I have the model and registration of your vehicle?" She held her hands over the keyboard, ready to type the information.

"She's a Hardy Daytona- and take good care of her- her registration is G427 JZX," He gave her the keys to the bike,"

"Thank you and have a nice flight," she said monotonously, as though she said exactly the same to every customer. She smiled over-enthusiastically and beckoned to the next in queue. Dark went down the right corridor and outside, to where the airship was docked. It swayed in the wind gracefully, it's ropes swinging too.

He climbed an abnormally long ladder, which was sawing and swinging so freely Dark feared that would fall off. Once at the top, he turned and looked at the view. He could see for miles, over mountains, streams, cities, and almost crowds. In the middle of it all stood the huge Shinra building.

Inside was rocking to and fro, and Dark nearly lost his footing at least twice. He pushed his sword into a luggage compartment above his head, and took a seat next to a sleeping old man and a youth about his age.

The chairs were very uncomfortable- they were made of chipped old wood and were hardly padded with thin sponge. Dark kept having to change positions because of his discomfort. In the end, he folded his jacket and sat on it like a cushion.

"Hey, you've been working with Mako, right?" Dark looked up, as the youth next to him had spoken.

"Huh? No, not that I know of,"

"Sure you have, I'd recognise those glowing eyes anywhere. Been working for Shinra?"

"What? No," Dark said firmly.

"Suit yourself, but you've been near Mako, whether you remember it or not," Dark didn't reply- he was confused. Who was this 'Shinra' and why were his eyes bright? He stared out of the window as the landscape drifted by. Would his journey bring him more answers? Or questions?

The airship came to a sudden halt and every passenger inside jerked forwards. Dark couldn't wait to get out of his seat and stretch his legs. He grabbed his luggage and coat and skipped out of the cabin, and into the fresh air. He clambered down the ladder and onto the ground. Ahead was the village of Nibelheim which from his point of view, looked very dull, with the grey buildings and cobbled streets.

He checked in at the local inn, where he left his bags and belongings. Afterwards, he went outside into the town; which was very busy. It reminded him of Kalm, the same building design and similar streets and pavements. There were a few stalls which contained tradesmen desperately trying to sell something. One particular stall interested him; on its shelves were shiny spheres of a variety of colours. He stopped and picked one up curiously.

"What's this?" Dark asked, staring into it's depth.

"What's _that_?" the woman cried. "That's material, that is,"

"What is it? What does it do?"

"Its compressed Mako energy- I'm surprised you haven't seen it before, what with those eyes," There it was again; the comment about the eyes. "You can make and control magic with it, all you need is an enhancer,"

"What's a-"

"It's a piece of equipment which allows you to control the material. Normally its very expensive, but seeing as you have such a pretty face, I'll sell it to you for 500 gil, not bad eh?" Dark was rather confused about the 'pretty face' comment, but nevertheless he bought the enhancer; which looked like a necklace, and some 'Thunder' materia.

Whilst leaving the stall, feeling quite pleased with himself, Dark noticed a middle-aged woman with long dark hair, who made eye-contact with him. Before he realised it, she was running quickly towards him, with her arms wide open. Her expression was of extreme happiness, and the force of the impact when she reached him almost knocked him over backwards.

"Cloud! Cloud! You're alive! I thought you were dead! Thank god!" Dark felt warm tears running down his shoulder.


	4. Past

"Uh- miss? I think you've mistaken me for somebody else,"

"I don't understand," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You look just like him, but yet you sound completely different- you even have his eyes," she ran her hand down his cheek.

"I'm sorry- my name is Dark,"

"No, I'm sorry for troubling you- it's just that for a moment I thought I'd been reunited with my childhood friend, that's all,"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," he sighed. "Do you want a drink? You need to chill out for a while,"

"Sure, but how unusual, meeting someone who looks just like him in his very hometown,"

Inside there was a quiet café with small tables and fancy chairs. There were hardly any people in there, which was a good thing.

"So, who did you think I was?" Dark asked once they had been seated and the woman had finished sobbing.

"My childhood friend, Cloud," she sighed. "We were very close, but he died sixteen years ago. Maybe you're a relative or something- I never asked whether he had a brother or cousin or anything. What's your surname?"

"Strife, why?" the woman dropped the cup which she was holding, which smashed on the floor. "Why!" He repeated.

"So it's true,"

"What? What's true!" he said loudly, causing the few people in the café to look in his direction. He was becoming frustrated with this woman. "If you know something about me, you have to tell me! Please!"

"Cloud told me that he had a son, with a woman I also knew. I didn't believe him- I didn't want to believe him- but it's true…"

"Cloud… Is my father? That means that that man is after my father. What does he want with him?"

"There's more- a lot more of the story- but here isn't the place to talk. Follow me; back to my house, but brace yourself," Dark nodded and left a tip on the table, before following her.

"Who are you? How do you know so much about me? And my past? My father-"

"Listen-" she opened the door to her house and shut it behind them. "Take a seat, and I'll tell you,

"A long time ago, you father; Cloud, made a promise to me- that he would become a soldier, and that he would protect me when I'm in danger. Not long after, he left for training. A while after that, he came back as a soldier with a man named 'Sephiroth'- a hero and a world famous soldier and hero and was proud to be one of them. I was nothing but a mere tour-girl- but I was so happy that he had come back; just to see me. I took him and Sephiroth to an old mako reactor; there had been problems reported around there. However, Sephiroth saw something much, much worse. He saw something top-secret; soldiers being exposed to mako energy so much that they were forced to mutate. He lost his temper, and found that he was one of these 'mutations' too. He had been created from a being called an 'ancient'- an old race. Cloud challenged him as I did- he slaughtered my father. He defeated me with one blow. When I had awoke from consciousness, Sephiroth was in the library- searching for more information about himself. Cloud went to challenge him again, but Sephiroth disappeared- and by the time Cloud had left the library, the village had been burned down. His mother died in that incident.

"About two years after that, we met again. I had joined a terrorist group named 'avalanche', and our aim was to destroy the mako reactors in Midgar, which was the home to the Shinra company. Cloud had quit 'soldier' and was prepared to help us. He helped us destroy two reactors, and on the way became caught up in the affairs of a young woman. She was quiet and shy, but cheerful. Shinra were always after her for something, and so Cloud helped her out. She was captured, but Cloud went to rescue her, and avalanche followed. Whilst we were there, Sephiroth slaughtered the head of Shinra and most other people. Only we were safe because we'd been locked up. He also captured his 'mother' Jenova. We left Midgar, and formed s new quest- to kill Sephiroth before he destroyed the world,

"Somewhere along the way, you mother, Aeris, died. She too was killed by Sephiroth,"

"How do you know that Aeris was my mother?" Dark asked.

"No wonder Cloud was so upset when she died. All the time I felt, I _knew _something was wrong," she sobbed. "_I _never got him. If only I told him how I felt, maybe he'd be with me," she took a tissue and mopped her eyes. The front door slammed and in walked a girl.

She had waist-length black hair and deep, brown eyes. She was very tall- nearly as tall as Dark, with long, athletic legs. She tossed her mane-like hair and smiled.

"Mum? Are you okay? Who's this? Has he upset you?" she glared at Dark.

"I'm fine, Saria," she said. "Dark, this is my daughter Saria," Saria waved. "He's a son of a friend of mine," the woman explained to her daughter. Saria shrugged.

"I'll be in my room if you need me," she drifted away and heavy footsteps going up the stairs followed her. In a lower-voiced tone, the woman spoke again.

"To be honest, I think she's been a little down lately. Maybe she's missing her father. I'd go to her- but I think she'd trust someone a little more her age. I know it's a lot to ask, but would you talk to her? I'd be ever-so grateful,"

"Okay," Dark went upstairs to find Saria, who was sitting on her bed, cradling a picture frame. She hid it under her pillow when she noticed Dark at her doorway.

"Who're you?" she said defensively.

"Like your mother said- a friend of her's son. I er… Noticed you weren't looking too happy when you passed me back there. Are you troubled about something?" she snorted.

"Hmph. Like you'd care- or no for that matter,"

"You'd be surprised. Missing your dad?" Saria looked down.

"As if you'd understand," she replied miserably.

"On the contrary- I understand completely. I've never known my mother or father- they both died before I could see either one of them,"

"I'd give anything to see my dad again," she sighed. At that moment, Saria's mum walked up the stairs and joined them.

"So," she said. "Would you like dinner here?" Dark shook his head.

"No, sorry, but I've got to get going. That guy- Sephiroth – he killed my mother, and now he's looking for my father. I'm going to find him and get my revenge,"

"Maybe so, but look at you- you're dirty, tired and hungry. At least stay the night," Dark thought for a moment, and shrugged.

"I guess so, I'll stand no chance against him whilst I'm like this,"



Meanwhile, back in Midgar, Dr Black sat on his bed, his head in his hands. There was a knock at the door. He opened it, and Doctor Vynn greeted him, her arm in a sling.

"Sir-"

"I know, I know, I've seen," his face was pale and sweaty with worry. "What should I do? What have I done?" he panicked.

"I told you this would happen," she said crossly. "Look at the trouble you've caused! The power you've unleashed! And it's all _your_ fault!"

"No! You're wrong! You see, now he's alive- all we need to do is recapture him! With our technology it should be so easy! And then- think of the power we'd own. I'd be made famous! The whole thing would go down in history!"

"The only thing that's going down in history right now is that he's gone and burned down another town!" Dr Black gritted his teeth.

"I want you to listen now, and listen good," he stood up powerfully. "I want you to take as much as our military sources; guns, soldiers, copters, airships- whatever! And I want you to meet me in Nibelheim in one hour,"

"Why Nibelheim?" she looked doubtful.

"That's where he's going to go, isn't it? He's going to look for Cloud in his hometown?" he said patronisingly. "What're you waiting for!" he exclaimed. "NOW!"



Dark scrubbed his blonde hair with a towel. He shook his locks as beads of soapy water splattered onto his surroundings.

"Dark," the woman said. "I've set up a temporary bed in the spare room- I hope its okay,"

"Uh, thanks- er…."

"Tifa, my name's Tifa,"

"So, did you and my dad ever... y'know…er…" He trailed off, hoping Tifa would understand.

"No," she sighed. "I'd known him all my life and yet he hardly gave me a second glance,"

"So who's the father of-"

"Saria? Oh, some guy I met not long after Cloud died. He works at Shinra, although we haven't seen him in about three years. We're ever-so worried. It's okay- I shouldn't be worrying you with tales of my life. You've had enough to cope with for one day," she patted his shoulder. "Maybe you ought to get some sleep," Dark nodded. Before he left, she held his face up to her. "You _do_ look like him," she said quietly.

It wasn't very long before Dark was awoken in the middle of the night. Sounds of helicopters, voices and footsteps could be heard. He peered out of the window.


	5. Escape

Half a dozen choppers were landing in the square, and about a dozen soldiers emerged from each. The soldiers spread out, sneaking. Dark ran straight to Tifa and Saria, and shook them awake. They too peered out of the window. Dark opened the window slightly, so that they could hear what the soldiers were saying. It only took the phrase "search for him" for Tifa to topple over backwards, her eyes wide with fear. "He-he's here," she gasped, scrambling backwards.

"Sephiroth?" Dark said. He grabbed his sword from under his bed, and began to walk down the stairs.

"Where're you going?" Tifa cried.

"Now's my chance," he said.

"No!" she yelled. "Not now! Can't you see? He's strong now! Right now you're no match for him- he's far too powerful!"

"What do you expect me to do?" Dark called back.

"Run now, fight later," she said. "Take Saria- there's a motorbike in the garage- and run, please!" Although it was Dark's destiny to avenge his parents, he knew that Saria's life lay in his hands.

"What about you?"

"I'll follow you later," there was a loud banging against the door. "Now!" Saria hugged her mother before climbing down the stairs. Luckily, there was a door through to the garage. Dark looked at the front door, as it began to bend with the force behind it. He went into the garage, locking the door behind him, and looked at the beautiful motorbike before him. He mounted it, and started it up with a large rumble. There was a loud crash- an indicator that the front door had been broken.

"Mum!" Saria cried, bolting for the door, but Dark grabbed her wrist.

"We've got to go," he said sympathetically. "Or else, we'll be next," Saria nodded, holding back tears as she joined Dark on bike and they rode off into the night.

It wasn't very long before they were a fair distance away. Smoke trailed from Nibelhiem, which was emitting an orange glow.

"Hey! There's somebody following us!" Saria said loud enough for Dark to hear over the purring engine. "Stop! It's probably mum!" Dark slowed down to a near halt, as the figure ran towards them. Whoever it was was running very fast, as it didn't take long for them to get closer. There was a silvery glint in the moonlight, and as the person got closer, they both realised that it wasn't Tifa running towards them, it was Sephiroth.

Dark accelerated as fast as possible, the speed gauge reaching it's limit.

"Faster, Dark! He's catching up!" Sure enough, Sephiroth was running at an incredible rate. A whirring noise came from somewhere behind. Saria turned, to see that not only was Sephiroth chasing them, but four choppers were also on their trail. If that wasn't bad enough, Sephiroth was extremely close.

"Sephiroth, please stop, come with us," a voice from a megaphone called. Sephiroth had obviously chosen to ignore them, as he continued his pursuit. He ran faster than ever, his arms and legs blurred. He grabbed Saria's hair, who let out a loud screech, and gripped onto Dark so tightly that he could feel her fingernails piercing his clothing.

"Let go of me, you bastard!" She whirled around, and punched his arm. He let go of her hair and grabbed her arm instead. "Get off!" She tried to push him, or withdraw her arm, but his grip was so strong, and tight that she could shake it off. As he pulled her arm, both her and Dark could feel the bike's front wheel being lifted from the ground. Sephiroth unsheathed his sword with his left hand, as Saria closed her eyes, waiting for the worst. There was a thud as the bike landed heavily back onto it's front wheel. Saria opened her eyes, but she had not been harmed. Sephiroth wasn't there. He was on the floor, blanketed by a net. He struggled about as the choppers landed around him, and he was surrounded by soldiers. Dark continued in the same direction, not looking back, whilst Saria collapsed with relief on him. Not too long after, the motorbike stopped, and Dark and Saria stopped for a rest. They were surrounded by mountains and on the opposite side, the sea could be seen, the sun just peeping from the horizon.

Dark sat in the grass, followed by Saria.

"Who were those?" he asked.

"Shinra," she said. "My dad works for them, although I haven't seen him in years," tears gathered in her eyes. " I have to go and see him, I have to go and tell him that mum's dead. He'll look after me,"

"I'm sorry about that- if I hadn't had been there, he probably wouldn't have come for us and you wouldn't be in this mess.

"No, it's okay. He's burned down villages before, and he would've then, even if you weren't there. I'm just glad that you were there to save me," she smiled, her eyes glittering with tears.

"No problem," Dark smiled back. "So, we're going to Shinra- but not yet. Cosmo Canyon isn't too far away. There must be stuff we can use there, and I was once fostered there, too," He stood up, and shaded his eyes using his hand. "It's just across that river. It's not too far, what do you think? Think we should set off now?"

"No way," she said. "I'm so tired, I want to sleep here, just for a while. If I can sleep, that is," she sighed. "What if he comes back?"

"I'll tell you what. I'll stay awake all night and keep watch," Saria smiled and curled into a ball. He couldn't help but feel sad himself, as he watched tear after tear roll down her cheeks as he slept. Now; more than ever, he felt angry and determined to get his revenge. He stared into the lightening sky, wondering whether he knew who he really was. What was his purpose? Now, he had a purpose. His purpose was to protect this girl at whatever the cost.


	6. Roaming

A few hours later, when the sun had risen fully, Saria awoke. Dark had indeed stayed up all night, sitting on his bag of belongings, his sword in his hand. Bags were under his eyes, but he was alert, and rather jumpy. He darted his head around when Saria yawned.

"You actually stayed awake _all _that time?" she stretched. "I thought you just said that to make me feel comfortable," she rubbed her eyes. "I had such a bad dream,"

"I don't blame you," Dark said tiredly.

"So, this 'cosmo canal'"

"Cosmo _canyon_,"

"Whatever. How far is it?"

"Not too far- we ought to reach it by the end of the day," he picked up his rucksack, and slung it over onto his back.

"We're going now?" Saria said suprisedly.

"Yeah, hanging around isn't going to do us much good,"

"But- they caught him, didn't they? There's no need to hurry,"

"Maybe, but you heard your mother; he's powerful beyond imagination. I think that this 'Shinra' company has underestimated him," he looked into the sky. "This…Sephiroth. He's going to be a match, but I have to; _must_ kill him," Saria said nothing; she was still shaken by the loss of her mother. "Cheer up," he added, watching her expression. "I'll get him for you," he offered her his hand up, which she took.

Meanwhile, back at the Shinra laboratory, Dr Black stared at Sephiroth, who was unconscious, chained underneath a strange-looking machine. An assortment of needles and tubes had been dug into his skin. Black smiled, circling Sephiroth with admiration.

"So, do you think you'll be prepared for this?" He said to a man beside him. The man was rather tall, with long, black straggly hair, and glasses balancing on the end of his nose.

"Of course," he replied, his dark eyes glinting. "Soon we will break through scientific history; no one will have ever done this before,"

"So, what exactly does your dad do? Is it important?" Dark asked.

"I'm not sure; I think he works in the Shinra labs, although I doubt he's that important,"

"Maybe he knows something about this," Dark wondered.

"I hope not, I don't want him to get involved," Saria said. "Which way now?" she looked around.

"See those cliffs over there?" he pointed straight ahead, where in the distance orange-coloured cliffs rose above the horizon.

"Those?"

"Yeah. Somewhere in those cliffs over there. I can remember it a little, but I was only very young. I left when I was about two to move to Kalm. I hope somebody will remember me," he sat on the bike, and Saria clambered on after him.

They rode at a steady pace, just enough for a breeze to ruffle their hair. Dark could feel her twist every now and again, to look at her surroundings.

"Why does this 'Shinra' keep popping up?" he asked, not meaning to say it aloud. "Shinra created Sephiroth, your dad works at Shinra, my dad worked for Shinra, everyone asks whether I work there… It's something important, a link to connect all these things together. I can't figure out how, though. After we've been to Cosmo Canyon, we're going to pay this 'Shinra' a visit."

"Good. I really want to see my dad," Saria said. They rode for the rest of the day, with the occasional break to stretch their legs and eat. Dark had little food in his rucksack, and so their food was rationed carefully. It was evening now, and they arrived at the river. Dark stopped the bike, and hopped off; it's engine still thundering. He looked into the river's murky depths.

"She won't go through that," he said miserably. "Looks like we'll have to do the rest of the journey on foot," Saria sighed.

"On foot; to over _there_?" she whined.

"Sure! For now, at least," he put one foot into the river, the chilly dampness bleeding into his trousers.

"You're joking, right?" Dark shook his head, and took another step into waist-height cold, fast water. He turned, and offered her a hand.

"Come on, it's not so bad," she took his hand, stepping into the freezing water. They waded through, Saria keeping a firm grip on Dark's hand. It was extremely difficult to cross, as the stones they were treading on kept slipping from underneath them, and the force of the river was constantly pushing them.

Saria let out a shriek, as she slipped and disappeared into the water. However, with one pull of Dark's hand, he dragged her to the surface again, where she gasped to get her breath back.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Let's just get to the other side as soon as possible, okay?" the water was up to their necks now, and had Dark not been strong enough to act as an anchor, Saria was sure that they would have been swept away completely.

They reached the other side, and Dark lifted Saria out of the water and onto the bank. He scrambled up too, sitting on the edge. Saria looked freezing, with goose-dimpled arms and blue hands. Unlike Dark, she wasn't dressed in warm clothing, and she wasn't insulated with as much muscle as him, either. He watched her shivering, and then began to unbutton his top.

"Here, wear this," he said as he slid the top over his head, and passed it to her. It was a long-sleeved top with built-in leather shoulder-pads, and buckles around the tops of the arms. She giggled as she put it on, as it was much too big for her. "We'll walk for a while- maybe that'll warm you up some more. Then I'll light a cosy fire, and you can dry off and be warm,"

"Won't you be cold?" she said, looking at his bare chest and arms.

"I'll be fine," he said. He rubbed her shoulders, and started walking. She put her hands where they had been moments before, watched him for a moment, and then followed him.

She seemed to dry off as they walked, but she still looked cold, and her long hair was soaked. However, she didn't complain, and was still contempt to walk alongside him.

"I wonder what my dad will say after all this time," she wondered. "I don't know whether he'll be thrilled or disappointed," she looked at him. "What was your dad like?"

"My dad? From what I've heard, he was a hero; a strong, fearless, valiant man and a saviour to the earth. It's just a shame that he died so young," Dark said. "It just goes to show that the hero's don't always win- in the long term,"

"Well, this 'Sephiroth' guy; I want to get him too. He killed my mum- I want revenge.

"Be careful- revenge can be a terrible motive,"

"Isn't it yours?" Dark stopped and paused.

"That's different," he said.

"Is it? Think. We both have the same problem. After we go and see my dad, I'm going with you to find Sephiroth,"

"If he doesn't find us first," Dark added. He glanced over to the mountains on their left. "Why don't we stay there for the night?" There were rocks which heaped at the bottom of the mountain. They scrambled among them and found rocks which were just right to sit on. Peeping from between the rocks were scruffy plants, which Dark grabbed and threw into a pile. He lit them with a lighter, which took time as the plants were not very dry. However, they were soon cracking under the fire's warmth.

"This is lovely," Saria said, rubbing her hands near the fire.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure whether this is a good idea," he said. From at least a mile away people can see this light. Anyone could see us,"

"Relax," she said. "You need sleep, and so do I. Let's put out the fire and get some rest," she stamped out the fire, and everything went dark. "Dark?" she said. Dark grumbled. "You cold?" Dark obviously seemed too tired to talk. "I'm freezing; can I sleep beside you?" he muttered something which resembled 'sure'.

Saria fumbled about in the darkness, until she found him. She lay down facing away from him, and pulled his floppy arm over her shoulder. She snuggled into his to get herself comfortable, and tried to ignore his snoring.


	7. Reunion 2

**Author's note: "Thanks for continuing to read this story, not very many people are bothering at the moment. Right now it's a little slow but it'll pick up it's pace soon if you just bare with me.**

It was quite late when they awoke, which was at the same time, due to Saria's movement waking him. Dark looked much better now that he had had sleep. Saria seemed more energetic today, as she was skipping and eager to start travelling.

"You seem happy," he said, having to move his head to keep up with her fast movements.

"I am. I've had a really good sleep and I'm ready to go!" she jumped up and down excitedly.

"Good," he said. "We should get to Cosmo Canyon by the end of today," They began to head for Cosmo canyon, Saria skipping behind Dark, and circling him every now and then.

"So, what's with the sword?" she asked.

"It was my dad's," he explained. "Other than his motorbike, this is the only thing he left for me," his stomach rumbled.

"Let's get food," Saria said.

"No, we'll be at Cosmo Canyon soon– there'll be plenty of food,"

"We'll get there quicker on a full stomach," Dark thought for a moment. Had it just been himself on the journey, he would have continued. However, he had to think of others, and if Saria was hungry, they would go and find food.

After a while of searching, they found a bush full of berries. Birds were hopping around it and plucking the berries from it's branches- a sign that the berries were edible. They had quite a strong, fruity taste, and were full of juices. When they had both eaten enough, Dark put the berries in his rucksack, and they carried on.

By sunset they were under the looming shadows of the rocky cliffs. Dark looked around suspiciously.

"We're quite vulnerable from here," he explained as they walked along the dusty, winding road. In the distance, small flames could be seen, which grew bigger as they got closer.

There was a sign made of wood, with the words 'Cosmo Canyon' carved into it; either side of it was a lit torch. There wasn't anyone guarding the gates, and so Dark and Saria walked straight through. All of a sudden, many people jumped out at them at the same time. Dark held up his hands in surrender immediately. The people were tribal-looking, holding hand-made spears and wearing paints and tattoos. The man with the most markings and a mask and headdress, whom Dark presumed the leader, looked at Dark and lowered his spear.

"Cloud! I thought you were dead," he said. Dark was speechless, and stuttered his answer.

"I'm er… We were… I'm not…"

"Dark!" he turned when he heard somebody call his name. It was a strange creature, like a red lion. It had crimson fur running down it's back, and on the tip of it's tail was a flame, glowing brightly. It swished it's tail, and pounced on Dark.

"Who're you?" Dark said, trying not to laugh.

"I don't have a name, but your father called me 'Red',"

"How did you know my dad?"

"Yes I did, I travelled with him for some time- he was a good friend of mine,"

"How do you know me?" I took you here to be fostered when Cloud was travelling. He wanted you to be somewhere safe, and so he trusted you to me," He turned to Saria. "You're Tifa's daughter, I presume?"

"Yes- how did you know?" Saria said.

"You look like her, eyes, hair…" his eyes looked her up and down "Figure, too. But.. You also look like-" his eyes widened. "But it can't be… Hojo!" Dark and Saria hadn't heard of this 'Hojo'.

"No, my dad's called Dieno- you must have him confused with somebody else," Red's eyes narrowed, it seemed as though he didn't believe her.

"Anyway, how about a feast to celebrate the return of an old friend, eh?" Everybody began making a bonfire, and bringing succulent food to be cooked. Dark and Saria took a place next to the fire, absorbing it's heat.

Sephiroth awoke slightly. His arms and legs were chained up, and he felt pain from all of the needles and sensors dug into his body. He felt drugged, as the doctors and scientists around him were moving in blurrs. He pulled at the chains, and although they buckled slightly under his strength, they did not break. He growled, showing his white teeth.

"Strong, aren't they?" A man said. Sephiroth looked up. "I'm afraid material have become much more advanced since you were around last,"

"Hojo?"

"No, although we do look alike. My name is Dieno, his cousin. Of course, he was a novice compared to me. He meddled with power he was incapable of controlling, and who is he now? A nobody, that's who," He walked quite close to Sephiroth. "Me? I know what I'm dealing with,"

"Then let me go before I kill you all," he gave Dieno a piercing stare- one which would make most men's knees buckle in fear. However, Dieno laughed.

"I that state? Ha! Even _you _can't get out of this one. You're my subject, my latest guinea pig,"

"I'm nobody's subject," he snarled. "Break me free now of I'll kill you so quickly that it'll be hours before you realise you're dead,"

"Not even if I could make you the most powerful being on earth?" He was very close to Sephiroth, tormenting Sephiroth with the fact that he couldn't harm him. Sephiroth was really tugging at the chains, which were screeching against each other.

"I _am _the most powerful being on the earth,"

"_You_? _Powerful_? Compared to what we could do to you, your power is nothing. Look at you now- bound by mere chains,"

"Fuck you, I'm no-one's guinea pig," Sephiroth spat at Dieno, who frowned slightly, but still kept the same, patronising, smug smile.

"You're in no position to use language like that," he jeered. "See this wire here?" he held up one of the wires attached to Sephiroth's body. "With a click of my fingers I could send enough volts down here to fry you if I wanted to, so I'd co-operate if I were you. Now then- I'm a fair man, so I'll make you an offer. You go through with the experiment, and I'll give you anything you want," Sephiroth thought for a moment.

"Cloud," he said.

"Cloud? Oh- that failed clone of yours? He's dead,"

"But I saw him yesterday. I want to kill him with my own bare hands- revenge,"

"I'll see what I can do,"

"This… Power you're going to give to me…how?"

"Simple- we take your genes, and inject them into a subject. We can clone these cells containing the genes, adding our own chemicals. When they are powerful enough, we can put the altered gene back. We didn't want to harm you or your genes, which is why the experiment is going to be carried out in another subject,"

"Fine. Bring me this guy, and I'll do it,"

"What was my dad like?" Dark asked.

"Very brave, and kind," Red replied wisely. "He saved me from a man called Hojo- who was using me as a test subject. He could have walked on by and not helped me at all, but he stopped and let me free," Dark ate some of the meat he had been handed. "To show my gratitude, I accompanied him. He was a quiet man, but not ignorant. Aggressive at times and gentle at others. For example, when your mother died, he showed such anger towards Sephiroth, but carried her body as though it were the petal of a flower,"

"Sounds like somebody I know," Saria butted in.

"What?"

"You were so angry about Sephiroth, but you treated me so nicely," Dark avoided eye contact and changed the subject, blushing slightly.

"What was she like? My mother, I mean,"

"Beautiful. She always smiled, despite the fact that she was always being chased by Shinra or the Turks for one thing or another,"

"Seems like everyone has a reason to hate Shinra,"

"They were horrible. I'm thankful they're gone now- they left our town penniless, with no food and no raw materials,"

"But they're not gone- they're back, and so is Sephiroth,"

"Sephiroth? But he can't be back- he died about twenty years ago. Your father killed him- I saw it with my own two eyes,"

"Why are they enemies? Didn't Sephiroth work with Cloud once?"

"Yes, Sephiroth supervised Cloud during their missions,"

"But I thought my dad was as good as Sephiroth- Tifa said so,"

"It's strange," Red sighed. "Tifa still refuses to believe it, but Cloud never became the soldier he wanted to be. That night they went to Nibelhiem, it wasn't just Sephiroth and your father who went; another man accompanied them; called Zak. It appeared that over time, Cloud and Tifa lost memory, and had both forgotten that it wasn't Cloud who was the soldier, it was Zak. Zak was the one who faced Sephiroth, Zak was the one who protected Tifa, and Zak was the one who saw the mutations. Cloud was only an apprentice, who hadn't accomplished anything," Dark frowned.

"I'm confused- how did they muddle their memories?" Red sighed again.

"You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"Your father was a clone of Sephiroth, as was Zak," Dark nearly dropped the food he was holding. "All of them were products of Hojo's laboratories. They all looked similar, and somehow their memories became intertwined," Dark seemed even more confused. "Maybe there was something about clones that meant they could share memories,"

"This Zak… was he a good guy?"

"Yes, he was,"

"Where is he? Maybe he would help me kill Sephiroth,"

"Unfortunately, Zak died that night during their escape from Nibelhiem. You're not thinking of fighting Sephiroth, are you?"

"Yeah, I am," Dark said strongly. "I'm going to make him pay for what he's done," Red laughed slightly.

"You're just like your father, and like him, you probably won't be persuaded to change your mind. How's Tifa?" He asked Saria, whom for all this time had been eating her food and listening to their conversation. Saria didn't reply.

"She's dead," Dark sighed. "Sephiroth killed her a few days ago,"

"Oh," Red said. "I'm sorry,"

"It's okay," Saria said. "We're going to get him back for her. For Tifa, Cloud, Aeris, and whoever else's life he's made a misery," She smiled, her eyes sparkling with tears.

"Red?" Dark asked. "Are there any other of my dad's friends who are still alive?"

"Yes, but I don't know where they are. There is Vincent, an assassin and an ex-Turk who joined us out of anger towards Sephiroth. His love, Lucrecia, had died whilst giving birth to Sephiroth. Barret joined your father when Shinra destroyed his hometown and left him to blame. There's Cid, a pilot who never reached his dream in space because Shinra stopped his funding. All these people were happy to help your father- because he was a good man. I only wish I could help you more with their locations,"

"That's okay, maybe I could find them and we could beat Sephiroth again, just like my dad did,"

"If you must. However, I cannot join you this time. Though I would love to help you, I have to stay here and defend my village from Shinra. I hope you understand,"

"Of course," Dark said. "Um… It's late now, do you have anywhere else we can stay the night,"

"Yes, we have an inn. It's not very clean, and it hasn't been used in a long time, but you can stay for free as long as you want,"

"Thanks. We won't stay long, though. The sooner we find Sephiroth, the better," Red looked worried.

"Have you heard any tales of Sephiroth's power?"

"No, I haven't. Is he strong?"

"Unbelievably," Red replied. "So strong that he slayed a 20 foot serpent and speared it on a tree. So powerful he can control comets. The best soldier Shinra ever had or will have. But you know what really makes him scary?" Red's voice took a lower, more serious tone. "He doesn't feel. No emotions, thoughts- just pure hatred. Nothing will stop him from getting what he wants- friends, family; he'll cut them all down to achieve his goal." Dark was scared now that he was finally realising how scary Sephiroth was.

"I've got to be brave," he said. "I'll practice and practice until I'm strong enough to beat him,"

"You'll need a lot of practice- you're father didn't kill him as a novice. It took him weeks of training to get himself that strong,"

"Can you help me?"

"Yes, there are beasts that roam the lands around here. Slay them as you wish, you'll soon toughen up," Dark thanked him again. "The inn is over there, I'll show you," Red stood up, and shook himself, his fluffy mane ruffling. Dark and Saria followed him up a hand-made flight of stairs to a door of a building, which was built against a cliff. Just before they walked in, the leader from the tribal-looking group who had approached them before, came to them, and took off his mask.

He had bright red hair and a handsome face with delicate features. The tribal markings continued to his face, with a red line under each eye. He had bright blue eyes, which caught Saria's attention.

"Sorry about that before," he said. "You're Cloud's son, right? I should have known- you look just like him," Dark opened his mouth to reply, but Saria pushed him out of the way and said;

"Who're you?"

"The name's Reno. I used to be a Turk, working for Shinra, but when it went bust I quit and came to live here,"

"So you and my dad were… enemies?" Dark interrupted Saria this time.

"Kind of. I was actually more of a kind of enemy with your mother. It was my job to capture her fore Shinra,"

"You didn't hurt her, did you?" He said threateningly.

"No, of course _I_ didn't," Reno replied. "You're mother was a kind, gentle woman,"

"What are you doing here now?"

"Well, I've settled down with my wife," Saria looked disappointed as she lost her smile and her enthusiasm.

"Would you come with us?"

"I _would, _but with my wife and a child on the way, I thought it'd be best to look after them here. With Sephiroth _and _Shinra lurking about, I'd better be on my guard,"

"I understand," Dark said. Reno said goodbye, and left them to go to their room. It was indeed old, with cracks in the walls and damp patches scattered about the place. There were cobwebs in the corners and a dripping sound coming from somewhere in the room. However, the beds were made neatly and hardly looked as though they hadn't been slept in for twenty years. For all Dark knew, they could have been slept in only yesterday. Dark lit the lights, which brightened the room for a little.

"Will you be okay?" Red asked.

"Yes thanks," Dark said.

"If you need anything, just ask," Red left, closing the door. Dark sat on his bed and lay down, his arms behind his head. Saria was pacing around the room, looking in drawers and under the beds.

"What's up?" Dark asked.

"Nothing," She gave up. "It's just that our parents stayed here a long time ago, I thought that maybe there could be evidence they lived here, maybe they left something behind, but no- not a thing,"

"But think- my Dad could have slept on this very bed,"

"And my mum on this one," She sat down on another bed. They were both quiet for a moment, thinking and imagining their parents. "How long are we staying here?" she asked.

"I don't know. Probably two or three days, it depends how well I can fight and stuff like that,"

"Think you'll need a lot of practice?" she asked.

"Maybe. I used to train a lot with this sword all the time. I can remember when I first tried to lift it, and was punished for playing with something so sharp. I used to train every day for hours- people would see me through the windows, one woman once told me that I was spectacular," he smiled. Saria looked as though she was going to comment, but before she could say anything, he interrupted her. "I'm scared,"

"_You? Scared?_" She said. "What happened to your 'I'm going to defeat Sephiroth' speeches? You just said you were fantastic with your sword,"

"No, I'm not scared of not being able to beat him physically. It's just that my dad was a clone of Sephiroth- maybe it'll be like fighting my dad. Maybe I won't be able to bring myself to kill him," Saria stood up and sat next to him, putting one hand on his hair.

"Your father was nothing like that heartless murderer-" she said reassuredly. For a moment they gazed at each other, their eyes half-closed. They both leant towards eachother, but stopped. Saria looked quite sheepish and sat back on her own bed. Dark rolled over to face the opposite way, also blushing. It was strange how quickly they went to sleep after such a long day, even with the lights on and wearing clothes. Red came to check on them, blowing out the lights and closing the door as he left.


End file.
